Now that the Stephen Beck, Jr. ABLE Act has been signed into law, the most frequent question families have is, "When can we create an ABLE Account for our family member with Down syndrome?"
The answer is, "Not yet." Although the ABLE Act is now law, the Secretary of the Treasury still has to issue regulations or other guidance sometime between now and mid-June. Once the regulations have been approved, each state will then decide whether to offer an ABLE account, and if so, whether it will be state-run or managed by another entity, such as a financial services firm. A state could also opt to contract with another state and allow its residents to use an ABLE program for another state.
The Arc has developed two very well-written documents, explaining the ABLE Act and the next steps.
The National Disability Institute (NDI) has created a short video to help you start planning for an ABLE account. NDI suggests (in Step 5) that you "Make sure your state is moving forward to establish an ABLE account program". Call or email your Governor's office and your state legislators to let them know how important the establishment of the ABLE accounts in your state are to you.
